An Angel Visits Zacharias

An Angel Visits Zacharias
Luke 1:1-23

The angel said, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife shall have a son, whom you shall call John."


ZACHARIAS, THE PRIEST, was an old man. All his lifetime he had been in the priesthood, for he was a descendant of Aaron. And he had married a woman named Elizabeth who also belonged to the family of the priests. Zacharias and Elizabeth loved God and lived to please him as well as they knew how. They thought often of the promises God had given to the Jews by the old prophets who lived and died many years before their time. These promises were that some day God would send a Saviour into the world, a son of David, to rule over his people forever.
Now Zacharias and his wife had grown old, and God had never given them any children. They had prayed many times and asked God to give them a little son or a little daughter, but their prayers had never been answered. And they had lived alone in their quiet home, thinking that God was not willing to bless them with the joy of parenthood. Still they served him faithfully; for they knew God always does what is best.
Zacharias did not always work in the temple. There were many priests, and these priests served in the temple by courses, just as David had planned when he arranged for the building of the first temple in Jerusalem.
There were twenty-four courses of the priests, and Zacharias belonged to the course of Abia. When his turn came to serve he left his quiet home in the hill-country of Judah and went to Jerusalem. There he did the work that fell to him by lot. And his lot was to burn incense on the golden altar, in the holy place, or the first room of the temple, where only the priests might enter.
Twice each day, at the time of the morning and the evening sacrifices, Zacharias took his censer of burning coals from the great altar and went into the holy place alone to offer sweet perfumes upon the golden altar before God. And while he lingered in that room, the people who came up to the temple to worship stood in the court outside and prayed. This was called the hour of prayer.
One day while Zacharias was offering incense upon the golden altar he was surprised to see an angel standing on the right side of the altar watching him. At first Zacharias was very much afraid, for he had never seen an angel before.
But the angel said, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife shall have a son, whom you shall call John. This child shall bring you much joy, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never drink wine or strong drink, and he shall have God's Holy Spirit dwelling in him and giving him power such as Elijah had, to turn the people from their sins to serve God."
Zacharias listened, filled with wonder as to whether these words could be really true. He thought he and Elizabeth were too old to have a child, and he asked the angel to give him a sign that he might know for sure these things would happen.
The angel answered, "I am Gabriel, the angel who stands in the presence of the Lord, and I have been sent by the Lord to tell you this glad news. But you have not believed my words, because you ask for a sign. Therefore this sign shall be given to you: You shall not be able to speak another word until the child is born."
And then the angel disappeared as suddenly as he had come.
The people stood outside waiting and wondering why Zacharias was so long in the holy place. When he came out to them he could not speak, but showed them by motions that he had seen a vision from God.
Not long afterwards Zacharias finished his course of service at the temple and returned to his home in the hill-country of Judah, as speechless as when he came out of the holy place. But he knew that the time would come when his voice would return, for he believed the sign that the angel had given to him.
Tomorrow: A Heavenly Messenger Visits Mary

THE PARABLES OF JESUS The Unjust Judge and the Importunate Widow Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

1And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.' 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'" 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Meditation: Persistence pays off, and that's especially true for those who trust in God.  Jesus tells a story that is all too true -- a defenseless widow is taken advantaged of and refused her rights. Through sheer persistence she wears down an unscrupulous judge until he gives her justice.  Jesus illustrates how God as our Judge is much quicker to bring us his justice, blessing, and help when we need it.  But we can easily loose heart and forget to ask our Heavenly Father for his grace and help.  Jesus told this parable to give fresh hope and confidence to his disciples. In this present life we can expect adversity and trials, but we are not without hope in God's provident care and justice. When trials come your way and setbacks disappoint you, where do you turn for help? Do you pray with expectant faith and confidence in God's merciful care and providence for you?

"Lord, give me faith to believe your promises and give me perseverance and hope to withstand trials and adversities. Help me to trust in your unfailing love and to find joy and contentment in you alone."

The strong Angel and the little book Revelation 10:1-11

v1 And I saw another strong *angel come down from heaven. His clothes were like a cloud. There was a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun. And his legs were like columns of fire. v2 He held in his hand a little book that was open. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. v3 Then he shouted with a loud voice. His voice was like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, 7 *thunders sounded. The sound was like voices that spoke. v4 When the 7 *thunders spoke, I started to write. But I heard a voice speak from heaven. ‘Keep secret what the 7 *thunders have said. Do not write it.’

v5 The *angel that stood on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. v6 He made a promise in front of God who lives now and always. God created the heavens and all that is in them. He created the earth and the sea and all that is in them. The *angel said, ‘There will be no more delay. v7 When the seventh (7th) *angel sounds his *trumpet, God will act. He will complete his secret plan. He has announced this plan to his servants the *prophets.’

v8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. The voice said, ‘Go and take the open book from the hand of the *angel. He is standing on the sea and on the land.’

v9 So, I went to the *angel. I asked him to give me the little book. He said to me, ‘Take it. Eat it and it will be bitter in your stomach. But in your mouth, it will taste as sweet as honey.’ v10 I took the little book from the hand of the *angel and I ate it. It did taste as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, it was bitter to my stomach. v11 The voice said to me, ‘You must *prophesy again. This will be about the people from many nations and languages, and about many kings.’

Verse 1 John saw a great *angel come down from heaven. It seemed that a cloud covered him like a coat. There was a rainbow above his head. But his face shone with a bright light like the sun. The impression of his legs was like fire.

Verse 2 There was a little book in the left hand of the *angel. This book was open so that people could read it.

The *angel came down to earth. He was a very large *angel. He put one foot on the land and the other foot on the sea. By this, he showed that he had great authority.

Verse 3 When the *angel spoke, his voice was like the loud roar of a lion. At his call, the 7 *thunders answered. The 7 *thunders seemed to speak words. John heard the *thunders. And he understood what they said.

Verse 4 John kept a record of all that he saw. He wrote what he heard. He listened to the *thunders. Then he started to write down their words. But a voice from heaven stopped him. What the *thunders said must remain a secret. The message that they gave was for John alone.

Verses 5-6 The *angel raised his right hand to heaven. By this, he shows that his promise is sure. God in heaven is witness to it. The *angel makes the promise in front of God.

He describes God. God is the God who always exists. He will always be alive. God alone has life and he alone can give life. He made the heavens, the earth and the sea. God is greater than all and he is the ruler of all. He has the power to do all that he has said. The future will be as God has said. The *prophecies that are in this book will happen.

Here is the *angel’s promise. There will be no further delay. The final phase of history has come.

Verse 7 The seventh (7th) *trumpet will sound. In those days, God will finish his hidden plan. This will be the last struggle of evil things against goodness. It will be the last efforts of *Satan to defeat the purposes of God. But *Satan will not succeed. And this time will also be the last chance for people to turn from their *sins.

God has shown some of his plan to the *prophets. His plan for the end times is in the *scroll (Revelation 1:19 and chapter 5). This book of the Revelation tells what is in that *scroll. Some of it remains secret, for example what the *thunders said. And we do not yet understand many things that God has said.

Verse 8 The voice that John heard in verse 4 spoke to him again. He told John to go to the *angel and to take the little book from him. The *angel was still standing with one foot on the sea and the other one on the land.

Verses 9-10 John went to the *angel and asked for the book. The *angel told him to take it and to eat it. John took the little book and ate it. As the *angel had said, the book tasted as sweet as honey. But in his stomach, it tasted bitter.

It was as if John was feeling the effect of the word of God. Afterwards, he would be able to *prophesy. So, he ate the little book. The book contained the message that John had to tell.

We do not know what was in the little book. It was most likely a message to God’s people on the earth. It was like something sweet because the words came from God. But it was like something bitter because it told about troubles to come. God’s people would overcome in the end. But before that, people would suffer and there would be much pain.

The message that there would be no more delay was a pleasant (or sweet) message. The end for God’s people will be pleasant. But the time before that end would be unpleasant (bitter) for God’s people.

Verse 11 Once more, John must *prophesy. He must show what is yet to happen. The end was not yet but it would come soon. The days of the seventh (7th) *trumpet were ready to begin. This was a message to all the people in the world.